Valve mechanism for controlling a drier



- Nov. 24, 1936. G, M GlBsON VALVE `MECHANISM FOR CONTROLLING A DRIERFiled Jan. 27, 1954 Patented Nov. 24, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEGeorge M. Gibson, Waterloo, Iowa, assigner to National Metal ProductsCompany, Waterloo, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Application January 27,1934, Serial No. 708,640

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in mechanism for operating andcontrolling driers, and particularly that type of drier used inconnection with domestic washing machines, and in 5 which is employedfluid under pressure for operating the same, the drier being of thattype employing a rigid container in which is supported a ilexiblewaterproof clothes container adapted to receive clothes to be dried, andcapable of being partially collapsed to squeeze the water from theclothes by fluid under pressure forced between the sides of the drierand the clothes container, suitable means being provided for dischargingthe water from the clothes into the washing ma- ]5 Chine.

Heretofore various types of pumps have been used to deliver the fluid tothe clothes drier for the purpose of collapsing the clothes container.These pumps work quite satisfactorily if proper D attention is giventhem from time to time. The

initial cost of manufacture is also quite high.

I find that a large number of the cities and towns have water systemswhich operate under a considerable pressure, varying from 30 pounds to150 pounds per square inch, and that water from the ordinary pipingsystem such as installed in the ordinary residence and having a pressureabove 30 pounds to the square inch may be utilized to advantage toprovide pressure to operate driers of the type above described.

It is, therefore, the object of my invention to provide a simple,durable and reliable valve mechanism which may be used in place of thepump for applying pressure to the drier, and in F- connection therewithis provided a simple and reliable means for controlling the flow ofwater from the water system to the drier and from the drier to the pointof discharge, and in which is included suitable means for easily andquickly at- 40 taching the valve mechanism to the faucet of the ordinarypiping system.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved pressureregulating and reducing device which may be easily and quickly attachedD to the ordinary drier of the fluid operated type above described, andin which is employed a single manually controlled device so arrangedthat when the pressure reducing mechanism is attached to the faucet ofthe water system, then 50 the operator may easily and quickly apply thepressure to the drier when so desired, and also accomplish the releaseof said pressure.

A further object is to provide in a fluid controlled device of the typeabove described, means 55T whereby a predetermined pressure within thedrier may be automatically maintained even if the supply pressure variesconsiderably.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationof the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated 5are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in myclaims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of my improved valvemechanism showing 10 the valves in position to permit fluid underpressure to enter the pressure chamber, with exhaust valve closed.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the valve mechanism forcontrolling the flow of water to and from a drier of the type abovedescribed, the valves being in a normal position with the water shut olffrom the drier.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of same showing the valves inthe position they would assume when pressure is being applied to thedrier and automatically maintained at said pressure.

Figure 4 is a detail end view of the lever mechay nism for operating thevalve.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, I have used the reference numeralI1 to indicate the valve casing in which one end of the pipe I5 leadingto drier mechanism is connected. A discharge pipe I8 is connected in theupper end of the casing Il to which a hose may be connected, the end ofwhich may lead to a sink or to a drain in the floor on which the washingmachine is supported. The bottom end of the casing Il is provided with apipe 23 to which a suitable hose 35 to supply water under pressure isconnected.

The casing Il is secured to the supporting frame of a washing machinetub by means of suitable brackets 2l. The bottom of the casing I1 isprovided with a screw threaded opening in 40 which is mounted a plug 29having a vertically arranged bearing 30. The upper end of the casing I'I is provided with a screw threaded opening 3| in which is mounted abushing 32. The upper end of the bushing is pro-vided with an upwardly45 extending pipe 33 and having its lower end closed and provided withan opening 34.

The casing II is provided with a contracted portion 35 having a valveopening 3B and also a, partition 3l provided with an opening 38. The 50partition 3l and the contracted portion 36 provide means for dividingthe casing into an inlet chamber 39, a pressure chamber and a dischargechamber 4 I. The walls of the chamber 4I have a discharge opening 42 inwhich the pipe I8 is con- 55 nected, the walls of the chamber 49 areprovided with an opening 43 for receiving the pipe 6, while the wall ofthe chamber 39 is provided with an opening 44 for receivingY the pipe23.

Supported longitudinally through the center of the casing |1 I haveprovided a valve stem 45, the lower end of which is contracted andslidably supported in the bearing 36. The upper end of the valve stem 45is provided with ahead 45 slidably mounted inthe pipe 33. The lower endof the enlarged portion of the valve stem 45 is provided with a screwthreaded portion 41.

The screw threaded portion 41 supports valve members 48, 49 and 59, saidvalve members being formed preferably of yieldable material such asleather or rubber. are separated by a washer 5| and secured in positionby means of suitable nuts 52, while the valve member 56 is secured inposition by means of nuts 53.

Slidably mounted in the opening 36 is a sleeve 54 having an outwardlyextending flange 55 at its upper end designed to rest on the upper endof the contracted portion when the sleeve is at its lower limit ofmovement. The lower end of the sleeve has an inwardly extending annulariiange 56 vfor forming a'valve seat. A discharge opening 51 is formed insaid ilange. A spring 58 has its lower end carried by the flange 56 andits upper end resting against the lower end of the bushing 32, while'aspring 59 has its lower end resting on the lower end of the bushing 32and its upper end'against the under surface of the head 46.

The valves 48, 49 and 50 are supported normally in the positionillustrated in Figure Y2, with the valve member 49 resting on the valveseat 68 formed on the upper surface of the member 31 with the valve 58near the lower end of the charnber 39. The sleeve 54 is forceddownwardly by means of the spring 58 with its lower end terminatinginthe chamber 40 and above the valve 48 a considerable distance.

The valve 49 is held against its seat by forcing the rod 45 downwardlyagainst the tension of the spring 59 by means of a lever controlledmechanism comprising a spring 6| resting on the upper Vend of the head46 and placed under tension by Vhead 65 slidably mounted in a pipe 66secured to the upper end of the packing gland 64. The upper end of therod 63 is pivotally connected to a link 61 forming the lower side of alever device 68. Said lever device 68 includes link members 69 pivotallyconnected to the upper end of the pipe 66. The member 68` is providedwith an operating handle 10. The packing gland 64 is provided with aslidable member 1| resting on top of the packing 12. A spring 13 has itslower end resting on the member 1| and its upper end against the head65.

The spring 13 creates a downward pressure on the member 1| which isslidably mounted in the pipe 66 and thereby applies pressure to thepacking 12 so that a tight joint is always provided around the shaft 63.a lifting force to the head 65 in such a manner as to support the handle10 in an elevated position when unlocked, and in turn the head 62 alsosupported in an elevated position as shown in Figure 3.

The valve members 48 and 49Y The spring 13 also impartsY The links 61and 69 are so arranged that the shaft 63 is locked at its lower limit ofmovement when the handle 10 is in its lowered position illustrated inFigure 2, said parts being locked with the rod 63 at its lower positionof movement on account of the pivotal connection between the member 61and the links 69 passing to the right of a dead center line common tothe pivotal connection between the links 69 and the pipe 66 and thepivotal connection between the link 61 and the rod 63, at which time theouter end of the member 68 will engage the upper end of the pipe 66 andthus limit the downward movement of said lever.

When the head 62 is moved to its lowered position of movement, asv shownin Figure 2, pressure will be applied to the spring 6|, which in turnwill apply pressure to the head 46 andl the rod 45, causing the valve 49'to engage the seat 60 with the valve 48 spaced below the ange 56 of thesleeve 54 with the valve 5D belowthe partition 31. This is the normallyclosed positions of the valves.

Assuming that the pipe 23 has been connected to suitable water supplyunder pressure, then water under pressure will enter the pipe 23 and theinlet chamber 39. Assuming that it is desired to supply water to thedrier for operating the same, then the operator grasps the lever 10 andmoves it upwardly, permitting the spring 13 to lift the head 65 to theposition illustrated in Figure 3, after which the spring 59 will liftthe head 46 causing the valves 48, 49 and 50 to be` elevated to thepositions shown in Figure 1, with the valve 48 against the flange 56 ofthe sleeve 54.,

Water will then iiow upwardly through the opening 38 and around thethreaded portion of the rod 45 into the pressure chamber 4||.v The valve48 will prevent water from passing through the opening 51. Pressure willthen be built up on the pipe I6 and in the space`|5 between the drierand the clothes container until the said pressure equals the resiliencyof the spring 5B.

Further pressure development in the pressure chamber will cause thesleeve 54 to be moved upwardly and in turn the valve 50 until the saidvalve 56 engages the valve seat 14 in the member 31, at which time theow of water from the chamber 39 will cease with the water in the chamber40 having the desired pressure to operate the drier.

When the clothes have been properly dried, the handle 16 is then moveddownwardly, causing the valve 49 to be moved to position on its seat 60and the valve 48 Vto be separated from the flange 56, after which waterfrom the drier will be forced upwardly through the opening 51 into thechamber 4| and from there to the discharge pipe I8.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided Va.

control device which is of comparatively simple construction and whichmay be easilyY attached to a clothes drier of the type above described,which is reliable and accurate in its operation, and in which the entireoperation of the device may be controlled by a single lever and at thesame time provides means for automatically maintaining a predeterminedVpressure in the pressure chamber. Said predetermined pressure may bevaried by adjusting the bushing 32 in the casing |1, said bushing beinglocked in its adjusted position by means of a lock nut 16.

The spring 6| provides means whereby adjustable and yieldableV pressurewill always be maintained between the valve 49 and its seat 60, even ifthe valve seat and the valve are worn a considerable amount.

Sometimes it is desired to ll the Washing machine tub to which the drieris attached with Water from the supply pipe 23. At such times theoperator simply places one end of a hose connected to the discharge pipeI8 in the upper end of said tub and then elevates the lever l@ a slightamount, just enough to unseat the valve 49 without closing the valve 48and its coacting seat. Water will then ow upwardly through the opening38 into the chamber 40, thence through the opening 51 into the chamber 4l, and then into the pipe l 9 and finally to the tub I0, therebyproviding means whereby water may be delivered from the faucet 25 to thetub without having to actuate a valve in said water supply pipe, andthus providing a single control for both supplying Water to a washingmachine tub and other containers.

In actual practice the diameter of the threaded portion of the shaft andthe size of the opening 38 should be such as to provide a restrictedpassage so that a considerable pressure drop will result between thechambers 39 and l5 when the valves are at their maximum open position,to prevent vibration or hammering of the valve 43 as it is moved to aclosed position.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a .device or the class described, a casing provided with apressure chamber having inlet and outlet passages; a sleeve supported inthe outlet passage to slide toward or from said pressure chamber, itsinner end having a valve seat; yieldable means for imparting movement tosaid sleeve toward said pressure chamber; a valve rod mounted throughsaid sleeve and passages; an exhaust valve carried by said rod adaptedto iirst close said outlet passage upon movement of said rod in onedirection; an inlet valve also carried by said rod to close the inletpassage on further movement or" said rod in the same direction;yieldable means for moving said rod to closed position; a third valvecarried by said rod for closing the inlet passage with exhaust valveopen when the rod is moved in the opposite direction; and manuallyoperated means for controlling the opening and closing movements of saidrod.

2. In a device of the class described, a casing provided with a pressurechamber having inlet and outlet passages; a sleeve supported in theoutlet passage to slide toward or from said pressure chamber, its innerend having a valve seat; yieldable means for imparting movement to saidsleeve toward said pressure chamber; a valve rod mounted through saidsleeve and passages; an exhaust valve carried by said rod adapted to rstclose said outlet passage upon movement of said rod in one direction; aninlet valve also carried by said rod to close the inlet passage onfurther movement of said rod in the same direction; yieldable means formoving said rod to closed position; a third valve carried by said rodfor closing the inlet passage with exhaust valve open when the rod ismoved in the opposite ydirection; manually operated means forcontrolling the opening and closing movements of said rod; and yieldablemeans for locking the rod in its last position of movement.

3. In a device of the class described, a casing provided with a pressurechamber having inlet and outlet passages; a sleeve supported in theoutlet passage to slide toward or from sai-d pressure chamber, its innerend having a Valve seat; yieldable means for imparting movement to saidsleeve toward said pressure chamber; a valve rod mounted through saidsleeve and passages; an exhaust valve carried by said rod adapted to rstclose said outlet passage upon movement of said rod in one direction; aninlet valve also carried by said rod to close the inlet passage onfurther movement of said rod in the same direction; yieldable means formoving said rod t0 closed position; a third valve carried by said rodfor closing the inlet passage with exhaust valve open when the rod ismoved in the opposite direction; manually operate-d means forcontrolling the opening and closing movements of said rod; and means forvarying the tension of the first yieidable means.

4, In a device of the class described, a. casing provided with apressure chamber having inlet and outlet passages; a sleeve supported inthe outlet passage to slide toward and from said pressure chamber, itsinner end having a Valve seat, yieldable means for imparting movement tosaid sleeve toward said pressure chamber, an exhaust valve adapted toclose the outlet passage; a second valve for closing the inlet passageafter the exhaust valve has been closed and a predetermined pressure hasbeen established in said pressure chamber and the iirst valve has beenmoved outwardly against the yieldable means for closing the same,yieldable means for moving said exhaust valve and the second valve to aclosed position; a third valve for closing the inlet passage when theexhaust valve is in an open position; and manually operated means formoving the last valve to a closed position.

5. in a device of the class described, a casing provided with a pressurechamber having inlet and outlet passages; a sleeve supported in theoutlet passage to slide toward and from said pressure chamber, its innerend having a valve seat; yieldable means for imparting movement to saidsleeve towards said pressure chamber, an eX- haust valve adapted toclose the outlet passage; a second valve for closing the inlet passageafter the exhaust valve has been closed and a predetermined pressure hasbeen established in said pressure chamber; yieldable means for movingsaid exhaust valve and said second valve to a closed position; a thirdvalve for closing the inlet passage when the iirst valve is in an openposition; manually operated means for moving the last valve to a closedposition; and means for locking the valve closing means in a closedposition, the last said means including a spring for applying yieldablepressure between the valve and the seat.

GEORGE M. GIBSON.

